Accidents Never Happen
by KatieClay
Summary: 1st story in my Mike/Marion series. A man is acting suspicious after his wife falls from an upstairs window and Marion lets her judgement get in the way of her work, but Dr.Banner steps in to help. Rated T just to be safe. Complete at last!
1. Suspicious Circumstances

**Authour's Note**

**This is the first chapter that I have written in this series of 7 stories I plan to write. I want the running storyline to be the relationship between Marion and Mike, but I want there to be other storylines per installment and other characters involved, just like an episode would be. I have all the plans, It's just a case of writing them up. I think when I'm done each story will have about 5-7ish chapters each. I'm not a brilliant writer and I'm new to fanfiction, so bear with me while I get the hang of it! Oh - and I hope you enjoy what I write! Here we go - Story One, Chapter One:**

**The Royal (M/M episode 1) - Accidents Never Happen**

Frankie slammed his foot down on the accelerator, forcing the ambulance to speed forward at a few more miles per hour as he overtook two cars in front, narrowly missing a third on the opposite side of the road. Dr. Ormerod, sat in the passenger seat, clutched his stomach and gripped the dashboard a little tighter. He didn't care if they fired him for negligence; this was the last time he rode with Frankie. The ambulance raced on with it's driver getting more and more adrenaline filled with each digit the needle of the speedometer passed, it's passenger getting even greener.

Suddenly Frankie slammed on the brakes and pulled over onto the side of the road, causing Gordon to rocket forwards towards the window screen, stopped from going through it only by the dashboard and his quick reaction time. They had arrived in front of a small, two story cottage in the middle of a village. "Here we are, doc!" Frankie smiled, jumping out of the vehicle and slamming his door shut, before jogging around to the Doctor's door. Dr. Ormerod wiped his face with his hand and took a deep breath in as Frankie pulled open the door. "Are you OK?" He asked.

"I...I'm...Fine." Gordon lifted his bag from the floor and stepped gingerly down from the ambulance. With both feet on the ground he wobbled a little and put his hands out to stop himself falling over. Frankie slapped him on the back.

"Ambulance sickness, eh? Couple more rides with me and we'll soon have that sorted, doc." Doctor Ormerod glared at Frankie. The only way he was going to ride in that thing again was over his dead body.

Gordon looked up at the cottage. James Redpath had appeared from the side of the house and was hurrying quickly over to them, looking distraught. "I'm James Redpath, It's my wife, Jane. Come quickly!" He shouted at the two men, "Hurry – she's around the back. I'm not sure she's breathing." The doctor instincts kicked in and Gordon forgot the nausea he was feeling. Right now what was important was that he had a job to do and someone's life to save.

It took less than 20 seconds for them to make their way into the back garden of the cottage. Gordon saw her first, then Frankie. They had both seen worse accidents over the course of their time working in hospitals, but this came close to the top. The woman, Jane Redpath, lay mangled on the floor of the greenhouse, surrounded by a pool of blood. She was cut all over and her leg was twisted 90 degrees. Dr. Ormerod paused to take in the sight and navigate through the broken glass. "What happened?" He asked James.

"I...I don't know. I...I...came home from work and found her like this. I think she must have fallen...cleaning or something." Ormerod looked at Frankie. They were thinking the same thing. James did not sound convincing. Stammering, stopping to think, shaky voice – It didn't just say worried husband; it said liar.  
Gordon made his was carefully over to Jane's body and knelt down, feeling for a pulse.

"Frankie, she has a pulse, but it's very faint. I'll splint the leg best I can, if you put something on the worst of those wounds to slow the bleeding. Mr. Redpath I want you to go into the house and call the Royal. Tell them that Dr. Ormerod says we're bringing in a casualty and we will need Mr. Rose in theatre straight away. We should be there in about 15 minutes. Then I want you to lock up the house and get ready to travel in the ambulance with us." James nodded and ran inside, leaving Frankie and Gordon to see to his wife.

Back at the Royal, Matron was trying to explain to a young man that Mr. Rose was going into theatre with an emergency and that that took priority over his ingrown toenail, but was failing miserably. She was saved by Dr. Ormerod who threw open the door and pulled the first half of a trolley into the room. "You're early, Dr. Ormerod."

"Yes Matron, sorry. I didn't take into account Frankie's driving." He turned to Marion who was also in the room. "We have a 30 year old woman unconscious, suffering from multiple deep cuts, fractured leg, dislocated shoulder, several broken ribs, possible internal bleeding and I'm concerned that she may have received trauma to the head. I want blood taken and into theatre soon as." Dr. Banner walked into the room, in midst of all the chaos. Dr. Ormerod breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you're in today, Mike. I was meant to finish 2 hours ago, I had paperwork, and then this came up. Nurse McCaig will tell you the details. Meet me in theatre in 5 minutes, I'll anesthetise, you can assist Mr. Rose, then I'm off home and she's all yours."

In theatre, Mr. Rose finished his final stitch on Jane Redpath. "Well, that's me finished. I've done my best in there, but there's no promises. Now if you don't mind there's some very fine whiskey and a golf course with my name all over both." He nodded to the two doctors in theatre. "Gordon, Dr. Banner, I trust you can finish up here?" Mike nodded as Mr. Rose strode out of theatre. Gordon looked up at Mike.

"I'd say she has a fighting chance, but I think it's best you prepare the husband for the worst. There was one thing I wanted to mention – when we were at the scene, the husband was a little bit on edge. When we asked him what had happened, he seemed to make it up on the spot. Told us that he got home from work and found her, but neither Frankie nor I were convinced. Just thought you might like to know that much."  
"Thanks. I'll keep my eye out."

In the side ward later that day, Dr. Banner checked the patient notes for the unconscious Jane, while Nurse McCaig took her pulse. She looked up at him, without him noticing. She watched the way he studied the paper, taking in every detail, checking for even the slightest indication of change in her condition. She loved the way he was so precise and took so much care over everything, and the way he was so passionate about his job. She wished more people were like him. "I think you should know that the husband was acting a little suspicious at the scene, nurse McCaig. He said that he came home from work to find his wife as she was, but Dr. Ormerod seemed to think that there was more to it than that." Marion finished taking Jane's pulse.

"Dr. Banner." He looked up at her. She stammered for a little in his gaze, noticing how nice his eyes looked in the light of the room. "Urm...her pulse...it's a little...slow...I mean quick. Quick. Her pulse is a little quick." Marion blushed.

"Are you OK?" Mike asked her.

"I...I'm fine. Thank you. I think I just need some air. If you need any help just call." Marion scuttled out of the room quickly and hurried into the staff toilet and leaning her head against the back of the door, blushing ferociously. "That wasn't obvious at all," she muttered under her breath.


	2. Formal Warning

**A/N Here we are, chapter number 2! Sorry this chapter is a little long. I wanted to give it a beginning and a middle, not end it somewhere inbetween. I've tried to make it fairly easy to read. Thanks to those who have left reviews so far, namely ljw :). I have exams this week, but i'll hopefully get around to writing the next chapter within the next few weeks. A little suspense never hurt anyone **

**Chapter 2**

Once Marion had gathered herself together, she made her way down the corridor and to the reception to pick up some patient notes. Lizzie was busy on the phone when she arrived, so Marion set about finding them herself, something that could prove to be difficult with Lizzie's filing system. After finding Mr. P. Smith's notes filed under M for Mister, Marion gave up and sat on the table, waiting for Lizzie to finish.

In the room next door Sgt Miller was interviewing James Redpath about his wife's accident. "Normally we wouldn't be taking an interest, Mr. Redpath, but..."

"But what?" James raised his voice, which drifted through the wall into the reception area where Marion sat. She listened, semi – subconsciously to the conversation that followed.

"Mr. Redpath, we are aware of your record."

"Oh and because I have a "record", I automatically become the man who pushed his wife from the upstairs window?"

"Sir, we have reason to believe that this was not an accident and your conviction for violence does nothing to make us treat you as an innocent..." Marion stood up and moved away from the wall, shocked by what she had just heard. She had seen cases of domestic violence in her last hospital, but nothing like this. She hurried over to get the file she needed from Lizzie, who had just put down the phone; but in doing so she missed the last part of the conversation between James and Sgt. Miller.

"Sergeant, that conviction was when I was 16, in a bar when I was illegally drunk. I am now 37. I have had a clean record ever since then."

"Thank you and sorry Mr. Redpath. We will be following this up, but I think it is safe to say that no charges will be brought against you. We would like to speak to your wife when she wakes up and we wish her all the best."

Back in the room with Jane, Mike re-took her pulse and checked her blood pressure. Something was definitely not right. Her BP was sky high and her pulse was all over the place. He lifted her eyelids and looked into them with a torch he pulled from his top pocket. This was not good. Her pupils were dilated. He rushed to the door and shouted for help down the corridor, raising the help of Marion. She hurried into the room, where Mike was taking Jane's pulse once more.

"She's gone into cardiac arrest!" Mike yelled as he began chest compressions, while Marion hurried to check for a pulse. They took it in turns swapping roles for 10 minutes, when Mike rechecked her pupils. "It's no good. Time of death 8pm." Marion stopped trying to revive Jane and pulled the bed sheet over her face. Mike looked at her. "Do you mind telling the husband? I'll alert Matron of the death." Marion nodded and left the room, heading to the relatives room.

When she arrived she found James sat reading a newspaper from the nearby table. He looked up as she entered. "Is it Jane? Has she woken up?"

"I'm afraid your wife is dead." James Redpath looked at Marion in despair.

"No...she can't be...I..." He began to sob in his hands. "I don't know how I'll live without her."

"Well you should have thought of that before..." Marion stopped herself, realising what she had just said. James stopped crying, stared angrily at her and stood up.

"Before I what? Before I killed her? What am I now...Staff Gossip? I have just lost my wife, the love of my life. How dare you try and accuse me of murdering her." His raised voice attracted the attention of Matron who immediately hurried over.

"May I ask what is going on here, Nurse McCaig?" Mr. Redpath did not wait for an answer.

"This nurse has just come to tell me that my wife has died, yet she seems more intent with accusing me of pushing her from the window from which she fell." Matron looked at Marion with disappointment.

"Nurse McCaig. My office. Now." She looked at James with sympathy. "I can only apologise, Mr. Redpath. I am so sorry for your loss. I will get another nurse to come and sit with you and take you to see your wife if you wish. If you'd like to wait in there, please?" James nodded and retired to the seating area of the relatives' room.

Marion sat in Matron's office dreading what would happen to her now. It had been a slip of the tongue, yet it had been exactly what she had been thinking at the time. She cursed herself for being so careless. There was a sharp bang as Mr. Carnegie strode into the room and glared at Marion, followed behind by Matron who closed the door softly.

"What the hell were you thinking, Nurse McCaig? This is a hospital, not a police station!" He yelled.

"I...I..." Marion looked at the floor and shuffled in her chair.

"You can't just tell patients exactly what you think, when you feel like it! That man has just lost his wife and you insensitively, and coldly try and accuse him of murder!"

"I'm sorry...I..."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to!"

"I know. I understand that I'm fired. I'll just go and..."

"Ordinarily you would be; but you're a good nurse and Matron has persuaded me that this was completely out of character, so I'm prepared to give you a formal warning. Stay away from Mr. Redpath and if anything else like this that ever happens again you can be sure that your career here is over." Mr. Carnegie stormed from the room, leaving Marion slightly relieved, but close to tears.

"Thank you, Matron." She managed to stammer.

"Your welcome, nurse. Dismissed."

Marion pulled herself up from her chair and rushed from the room. She left the corridor through the nearest door into a stockroom and began to cry.  
Outside, Mike had heard the various conversations that had lead to Marion hurrying from the office and had seen her practically fall crying into the stock room. He walked calmly over to and entered the cupboard. On seeing him come in Marion made a dive for the door. She really wanted to be alone right now.

"Whoa, whoa...where do you think you're going?" Mike caught her arm and she turned towards him. "I came in here to talk. You look like you need a friend." She looked up at him, face streaking with tears and her eyes big and puffy from crying.

"You know?"

"Yeah, I know. Though I think that you're being a little tough on yourself."

"Mike, they gave me a formal warning and nearly sacked me." Marion raised her voice a little. She though Mike of all people would understand this.

"So you made a mistake, everyone makes them. It's life."

"There's a man out there who I unfairly blamed for his wife's death and cold-heartedly told that she was dead. He may just be emotionally scarred and it's my entire fault." She began to sob again.

"It wasn't your fault. If anything it was my fault for supposing that he had something to do with her accident in the first place, never mind telling you about it. It was just something that Gordon mentioned. I made a big fuss out of nothing." He placed his hand on her arm in a reassuring way.

"No, Mike. It was really unprofessional of me. You should have been able to trust me and I handled it all wrong. I won't get far in this job if I carry on this way."

"Marion, you did what you did because you cared, not because you're a bad nurse. Lord knows I've dropped myself in it a time or two. Caring is good. It shows you have a soul, just maybe next time you could learn to handle it a little differently." He put his arms around her and drew her into a warm hug. "Look...we've both had a bad day. I'll tell you what..." He broke the hug and held her at arm's length. "What about if I make us both some tea at my place? I'm thinking fish and chips from Ashfordly, a bottle of fine French wine and some good music?" She smiled.

"That sounds nice." He handed her a handkerchief from his pocket, which she took and wiped the tears from her eyes. He glanced at his watch.

"It's the end of your shift. Go home, get some rest and be at mine for around 8ish. See you tonight." With that Mike left the store room and strode down the corridor, skipping a little as he realised he finally had a date with Marion.


	3. Ashfordly's Finest

**A/N Well, here we are chaps - chapter 3! To compensate for last time, this is a shorter chapter. Hope you enjoy - oh and listen to the music mentioned when reading to create and atomsphere!! Sorry it's taken me so long to write this section, I've been busy with exams and loads of other stuff on top of that. Hopefully I'll get to write more during the summer, although I'm not promising anything as I have piles of coursework and stuff to catch up on :( Still, I will try my best! I will get this story finished!! - and the series!**

**Chapter 3**

The table had to be set perfectly. A fresh table cloth; his favourite one; the pale blue one that would match her eyes. His best, not that they were anything to boast about, plates and glasses. He lit a candle in the centre. Perfect. Music, he needed music. Nothing too romantic, something a little easy listening – various artists; that would do.

Mike looked at the shirt that he had just changed into. Pink! What was he thinking! He started to unbutton it and ran upstairs into his room. He pulled it off and dragged on a much nicer grey one, before taking that off to, on the account of it looking like a funeral shirt.

There was a knock on the door downstairs. Panicking, Mike decided that his stripy yellow shirt would be fine, and quickly buttoned it before hurrying down the stairs. In the hallway, Mike caught himself in the mirror and flattened down his tussled hair. In the kitchen he glanced at the candle – what was that for? This wasn't a date; it was a meal between friends! He blew it out and stuffed it in an empty drawer.

There was another knock at the door and he ran towards it, knocking his knee on a table in the hallway as he did so. Taking a breath, he threw open the door.

"Marion! Come in!"  
"Thank you..."  
"Come through to the kitchen, the fish and chips are in the oven...to keep them warm"  
"It figures..." Marian smiled at him.  
"What?...oh right, yes, sorry." Mike laughed nervously.

He drew back a chair for her to sit on, and promptly served the delicacy that was Ashfordly's finest takeaway. They drank Mike's best wine and ate cheese and biscuits till gone 11, before making their way into the living room to dance to some music.

"I love this song!" Yelled Marion over the blare of 'I'm Happy Just to Dance With You'. Mike twirled her round underneath his arm as the song finished. They looked at the record player, waiting to see what the next song would be. Mike suddenly realised what it was and a look of panic crossed his face, but it was too late.

"Moooon River, wider than a mile. I'm crossing..." Mike looked at Marion and she looked at him, the moon of the scene changing with the music. Lost for what to do, Mike held out his hand to dance, and Marion accepted. At first they didn't move, just looked at their hands playing together. Mike cradled Marion in his arms and danced her slowly around the room. They felt their bodies melt into one, move as one. They let themselves be guided by the mood rather than themselves.

Mike put his face close to the side of Marion's, and began to sing softly with the music, "Two drifters, off to see the world. There's such a lot of world to see..." He ran his fingers slowly through her hair and their eyes slowly found each other's gaze. He leaned down and kissed her softly; playing with her lips with his own, fondling the back of her neck. She kissed him back stroking his back with her arms, both of them transfixed, thinking only of each other.

Suddenly Marion pulled back and stopped her kissing. She blushed and looked at the ground, before grabbing her coat from the sofa. "I'm sorry. Mike. This just isn't right. I'm sorry. I should go." She took her bag from the floor and hurried from the room. Mike blew out a long sigh as he heard the front door click shut and sat himself down on the sofa. That could have gone a lot better.


	4. Pause for Thought

**Chapter 4**

**A/N So...Chapter 4 is finally here! It's taken me all summer to write, not that it's anything special, I've just been so busy what with one thing and another! Again, this is smaller than the last chapters - I'm trying to avoid rambling, and probablly failing miserably! There's only going to be 3 more chapters after this and then I'll start writing story 2 - still focussing on the M/M thing :) At some point I might write in the presence of Dr. Burnett, but still haven't decided that yet. So, for now, enjoy, read, comment hint hint and look out for chapter 5!**

In the break room Marion sat enjoying a well-earned cup of tea; it had been a long shift, especially with the added pressure of avoiding Mike all day. Why did he have to try and follow her everywhere? Hadn't she made herself clear last night? It was the one thing that she wanted...but it had been all wrong – all right, but all wrong. At least she had got away from him for now, and the company of Frankie and his samples of wallpaper, were helping ease her worried thoughts from her mind.

"So you think the blue over the green?" Frankie asked holding the coloured pieces up for Marion to see. She studied them for a minute.

"Actually, I'm not sure – let me see the creamy coloured one again...No, definitely the blue..." Marion cut off suddenly as someone came into the room. Looking up it was Mike, and she quickly stood up from the table. "I have to go, sorry, Frankie. My shift has started."

As Marion rushed down the corridor, she felt a presence beside her. Worried that it was Mike, she quickened her pace, but looking up she found Frankie hurrying at her side, trying desperately to keep up with her fast pace. "Hey, Marion! Wait up!" Marion slowed to a steady walk and turned to smile at the flustered Frankie.

"Sorry, I'm...erm...late..."

"Since when has a few minutes bothered you?" Frankie paused for a second, after the rhetorical question, as if trying to think of what to say next. "Marion...what was that all about back there with Dr. Banner? I mean he only smiled at you...you really should talk to him before you go judging him and ..."

Panic and anger ran through Marion. Could Mike, of all people, have told Frankie about the night before; surely not? She stammered a reply, trying, and failing, to hide the anger in her voice.

"Why? Why should I?" Frankie, clueless about the relationship between the two, looked a little taken aback at her tone, but shrugged it off and answered her in complete honesty, with the little that he had known for ages.

"Because he really likes you, Marion. You'd be stupid not to see it. He's been trying to ask you out since your first day at the royal, yet he never had the confidence – he always thought you'd say no – which you might, but maybe if you got to know him..." He looked up at the sound of footsteps coming towards them.

Lizzie was racing over to them, looking flustered waving a piece of paper in a state of panic. Barely able to breathe, she thrust the note into Frankie's hand and tried to relay the message; having to take a breath after every word. "Frankie – accident - Houghton Lake. Car – in – water. Man – inside -". Frankie took a moment to understand what she was saying a quickly glanced down at his watch. They hadn't got long to act.

"Right, thanks Lizzie." He turned to Marion. "Go and get Dr. Banner, I'll get the ambulance ready and I'll meet you at the accident scene as soon as possible." Marion nodded and hurried back towards the staff room; thinking more about what Frankie had just said about Mike, than the looming emergency.


	5. Finished before it's started?

**Chapter 5**

**A/N Ok...so this chapter is ready sooner than I expected, and again shorter. I actually wrote this chapter a few days ago, before chapter 5, so I just had to put some final touches to it. Unfortunatley, I haven't written any of chapter 6 yet, but chapter 7 is complete, so those two will come together. Watch this space! **

Houghton Lake was just outside Elsinby. Once a romantic spot for courting couples to walk hand in hand, now it was just a overgrown mess, a place for teenage gangs to show off their cars and for adventurous or skiving school children to while away their days. The Lake itself was about 25ft deep, once a fisherman's haven, until it was discovered that the water was polluted from a nearby factory. Now it lay murky and untouched.

Today was not much different to the 25 years before it. The lake was still the same deep green, the remains of a torched car sat on the bank, somewhere in the thistles two 10 year olds became blood brothers, tyre marks littered the edge of the water; only today there was a new set of marks – and this one led right into the water, where a car was sinking, sinking slowly below the surface.

At the sound of the ambulance bell the lake suddenly became a bustling place. Birds and animals scattered, startled by the sudden noise. Fearing the police, the boys made a run for the trees. As soon as they arrived, Frankie jumped down from the ambulance, while Mike and Marion pulled various pieces of medical equipment from his camper van. The police weren't very far behind in arriving.

Frankie looked across at the lake and over to Marion and Mike.

"We'll have to wait till the fire brigade gets here! There's no way that we can get to him now, he's too far out." Mike looked at his watch and at the sinking car, before calling over to Sgt. Miller.  
"Sergeant? How long before the fire guys get here?" Miller didn't have a chance to reply, the radio spoke for him.  
"Control to patrol car 74. Are you receiving? Over."  
"Patrol car 74 receiving. Over"  
"The fire brigade are stuck on the Aidensfield Road, Sarge. They say they'll be another 20 minutes at least." Miller looked across at Dr. Banner.

Mike barely had time to think. He had pulled off his top layers and waded into the water before anybody had the chance to stop him. . Patients had always come first, and today was no exception. Miller frantically called for the engine to hurry up, while Frankie pulled blankets from the ambulance. Nobody noticed Marion hurry towards the water's edge, eyes wide with fear, close to tears as she watched Mike dive and disappear below the surface of the water.


	6. Accidents Never Happen

**Chapter 6**

**A/N Sorry for the long wait again - still wait over, here we are: Chapter 6.**

Back at 'The Royal' Dr. Ormerod knocked on and pushed open Jill's door.

"Jill I could do with you in casualty - a man seems to have driven his car into a lake and it appears that our young Mike may have just played the hero card and gone in after him..." Jill rolled her eyes.

"Have you heard if he's OK?"

"No...Frankie seemed pretty worried on the phone. He can look after himself, but I thought it would be best if we both stood by – he can be pretty...well...too heroic at times..." Jill nodded and grabbed her stethoscope from her desk drawer before following her husband down the corridor to casualty.

Mike had been under water for that long that the rippling waves had almost settled to a worryingly still surface. The small crowd that had gathered on the edge of the water – the two school boys, a couple of dog walkers and now a second police car – stood anxiously staring at the lake. Suddenly a fountain erupted and Mike appeared at the surface, gasping for air, no man apparent in his grasp.

In the lake, Mike thought he heard Marion calling for him to come out of the water, causing him to glance around at the shuffling crowd. He cleared his head. The lack of oxygen and cold of the water must have made him imagine her voice, her sweet voice with such worry for him. For her to be really calling with that much care she must have feelings...He stopped, his vision blurring. He knew he only had one more chance to get this right.

The crowd watched as Mike disappeared once again, Marion, stopping herself from breaking down in tears for fear that Frankie might see and put two and two together to work out the feelings that she was feeling.

She whispered to herself, "Please, please don't let this end now. Not how I've left things, not before it's begun."

This time Mike swam purposely, keeping in mind what his task was. He reached the car more quickly this time, and managed to quickly find the open driver window. The murky green of the water was doing nothing to help him see his way. Somehow he managed to grab onto the man's shirt and drag him towards the window – his face seeming somehow familiar...

The wait on the bank was becoming almost unbearable for Marion. It had been seconds, but it felt like hours since she had last seen Mike. She pleaded in her mind for him to appear, praying subconsciously...as if in answer to her prayers the surface was once more disturbed as Mike and the man shot to the surface.

At the sign of Mike, Frankie rushed into the water and helped him drag the man onto the bank. As they pulled him onto the dry ground, Marion ran over with the bags and blankets. She draped one quickly over the shoulders of Mike, who caught her eye, but then quickly looked back to the patient. Marion also glanced down at the face of the man. What she saw startled her...

"Mike, this is James Redpath. The husband of the woman who died yesterday..." Mike looked down at James.

"James, can you hear me?" A muffled yes.

"James, I'm Dr Banner. We're just going to take you into hospital and get you checked out." Mike and Frankie lifted James into the ambulance, while Marion collected up the bags.

A few minutes later, Mike jumped out of the ambulance, closed the door and wandered over to Marion, drying his hair with one end of the blanket, before draping it around his neck, as if he's been in the shower, she thought. He stood next to her as they waited for the ambulance to leave.

"Did you manage to get him to talk?"

"Yes, I think he'll be OK, just cuts and bruises, hopefully."

"Was it attempted suicide?" Marion asked; Mike nodded.

"Yes. Apparently his wife had left him a note, she'd been depressed for a while, it seems, and she wrote to him saying how she just couldn't cope any more with living. He found her and the letter when he came home from work, he was devastated obviously, but his worst fear was that, if she should die, the consequences it would have had. He thought...well...you know what some churches can be like, and he thought it would destroy her parents if they thought she'd taken her own life." Marion nodded.

"I understand that, but why do the same to himself? Wouldn't that have just made things worse?"

"I guess...but he was worried that he was going to go down for murder...I think he figured he could make this look like an accident too."

"I can't help feeling I'm to blame for all this...if I hadn't have yelled at him..."

"Don't be so hard on yourself – if Miller hadn't have accused him in the first place...anyway he's safe now." Marion looked up at Mike.

"Mike...yesterday...I..." Mike cut her off.

"Don't worry about that...I understand –"

"No, wait, let me finish. I left for two reasons. Firstly because I thought you were just trying to make me feel better after what happened and thought you'd regret it..." Mike tried to cut in, but she held up her hands. "...Then I learnt from Frankie about how you've been trying to ask me out for ages...Secondly, in my last hospital...there was a guy, a doctor, John...long story short I fell in love with him, seems I was the only one who didn't know he had a wife..." She sighed

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be...it was my fault just as much as his...I had to leave, of course, once it got out...they sent me here, and I've not looked back..." Marion looked him in the eye. As the ambulance pulled away, Mike slipped his hand into hers. "Mike...so much has happened and I don't know how I would have coped if you'd have...well...died today...I wondered, wondered if you'd mind starting again, well...from where we left off last night at least." Mike smiled and led her towards the waiting van.


	7. Where we left off

**Chapter 7**

**A/N The penultimate chapter, finally! I've really enjoyed doing this, even though it's taken so long! I never thought I'd ever finish a whole fanfic...but here we have it! Hope you've enjoyed reading! Let me know if I should continue with this series of m/m, or not :)**

Mike had called at the Royal on thier way home. James was doing fine and there was no need for him to stay. With some dry clothes from the camper, he drove Marion to his home, desperate to enjoy the evening.

Mike opened his door and lead Marion in by her hand, dropping his keys onto the table in the hall as he dragged her through into the living room. He took off his coat and placed it onto the arm of the sofa and rushed over to the record player in the corner, fiddling with it and setting the record to play. Marion removed her own jacket before looking questioningly at Mike.

"Mike, what are you doing?" He stood up as the record started to move.

"I'm starting from where we left off..." The record began to play 'Moon River', just as it had the night before. "I haven't changed it since last night. After you left I just kept playing it over and over...I didn't know what else to do with myself. I thought I'd wrecked everything that we'd been building, everything that I felt for you..." He stopped as Marion made her way over to him, taking his hands and placing them around her neck and swaying in time to the music.

"Last night," she smiled at him, "I think we were about here?" He laughed.

"I think we were just a little bit closer." Mike began to kiss Marion again, more passionately, yet more heartfelt than he had before. He slipped his hands under the edge of her shirt and began to lift it over her head, while her hands pulled at his tie and threw it to the ground. Mike stopped for a moment and looked at Marion.

"Stop me if I'm going too fast. I'm not going to ruin this twice." Marion finished undoing the last button of Mike's shirt then looked him in the eye.

"Mike, this really isn't too fast." She began to slip the shirt from his arms. As she did so she noticed a long white scar about nine inches in length from his sternum to his hip. She stroked it softly, hesitating before asking. "When did you get this?" Mike looked her in the eye and stroked her cheek softly.

"I...I..." He looked around uncomfortably. "Not tonight. I'll tell you sometime, just not tonight." She nodded, understanding that there was a time and a place and that he would tell her when he felt ready. "Shall we?" He asked. Marion nodded again as Mike took her hand and led her towards the door, Moon River finishing as they left the room; the arm lifting and the record slowing as they made their way upstairs.


End file.
